Richard III (21 September 1411 - 4 March 1471) also known as Richard of York was King of England from August 1453 to his death. He was the first king of the the House of York - a branch of the Plantagenet Dynasty. He was the son of Richard, Earl of Cambridge and Anne Mortimer, and thus a great-grandson of Edward III of England.
As the Duke of York, he also inherited vast estates and served in various offices of state in Ireland, France and England during the reign of his cousin, Henry VI of England. Richard's conflicts with Henry's wife, Margaret of Anjou, and other members of Henry's court, such as Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset, were leading factors in the political upheaval of mid-fifteenth-century England, following the failures of the royal administration. Richard's fortunes would change for the better when Henry VI died suddenly in August 1453, and only a posthumous daughter, Catherine was born to Margaret of Anjou.
Richard would ascend to the throne as Richard III following the standard of agnatic primogeniture set by Henry IV. Although his rule was contested in the War of English Succession - also known as Somerset's Rebellion - from 1455 to 1461, the new king would defeat both Beaufort pretenders - Somerset and his son Henry. In his reign, Richard would focus on rebuilding and reforming England from the disastrous rule of Henry VI, with the most dramatic aspects being his fights with his eldest son, Edward of Wales (the future Edward IV) and his illegitimate marriage to Elizabeth Woodville.
Upon his death in 1471, Richard would be succeeded by his eldest son Edward IV, though his youngest son, Richard IV and his line would come to rule.
Legacy[]
After the decline of England under the reign of Henry VI, the reign of rebuilding and reform under Richard III was a welcome one. Although his own eldest son, Edward IV, proved to be the opposite sort of king to both Henry VI and his father - causing chaos by supporting the Woodville faction and Elizabeth Woodville's attempted coup. Richard III's true successor would prove to be his youngest son, Richard IV, who ruled wisely and justly.
Marriage and Issue[]
Richard III married Cecily Neville around 1429. They had 12 children.
- Anne of York (10 August 1439 – 14 January 1476). Married to Henry Holland, 3rd Duke of Exeter and Thomas St. Leger.
- Henry of York (10 February 1441, Hatfield; died young).
- Edward IV of England (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483). Married to Anne of France, though his mistress was Elizabeth Woodville.
- Edmund, Duke of York (17 May 1443 – 18 June 1478). Married to Lady Isabel Neville. Father of Edward V of England
- Elizabeth of York (22 April 1444 – after January 1503). Married to John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk (his first marriage, when a child, to Lady Margaret Beaufort was annulled when they were both aged 10 or under).
- Margaret of York (3 May 1446 – 23 November 1503). Married to Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. Had issue
- William of York (born 7 July 1447, died young).
- John of York (born 7 November 1448, died young).
- George, Duke of Clarence (21 October 1449 – 21 May 1471). Executed by Edward IV
- Thomas of York (born c. 1451, died young).
- Richard IV of England (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1509). Married to Catherine of Lancaster
- Ursula of York (born 22 July 1455, died young).